Product Description

Diana Vreeland has been called the fashion editor of the twentieth century. An epic self-mythologizer, she had an incredible aura of glamour, a great eye, and a genius for life. Diana Vreeland reveals the growth of her professional prowess and gives an account of her personal history, at the same time as it brings to life Mrs. Vreeland's pizzazz, humour, and flamboyant personality. A dynamic cast of characters accompanies Diana Vreeland's story. There are more than 300 illustrations, photographs, and drawings, many by the best fashion photographers of her time such as Louise Dahl Wolfe, Irving Penn, Cecil Beaton, and Brassai. Through her work Diana knew Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and Oscar de la Renta. In the seventies a new wave of young talent came into her life - Andy Warhol, Fred Hughes, Mick and Bianca Jagger. She was friendly with Truman Capote, taught Jackie Kennedy Onassis how to dress in the White House, and was interviewed for her autobiography by George Plimpton. The fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar from 1937 to 1962, Diana Vreeland first shook things up with her "Why Don't You" column. Later, as the editor in chief of Vogue from 1962 to 1971, Diana Vreeland became famous for her startling style - sheathing women in jungle print underwear, wrapping their heads with leopard scarves. She operated out of her red lacquered office with a leopard-print rug, smoked continually, and lunched on peanut butter and jelly and a shot of scotch. At the height of her power, she was fired from Vogue, and replaced by an editor who had worked under her. In 1972, Diana returned to centre stage for the final act of her life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute as its "Special Consultant," a job she invented. She masterminded costume extravaganzas and contributed to the new age of blockbuster exhibitions in which museum attendance soared and people poured in to the galleries as never before. When Diana Vreeland became blind in the mid-80s she said it was because she had seen so many beautiful things. And after she died in 1989 she became a legend. Her story, as told by Eleanor Dwight, captures her great professional success as well as her personal relationships - in short, her vibrant and extraordinary life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #808635 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
"I was always fascinated by the absurdities and the luxuries and the snobbism that the world of the fashion magazines showed.... But I lived in that world... because I was always of that world at least in my imagination," legendary editor Vreeland (1906-1989) once said, and for this sweeping, visual biography, Dwight spoke with Vreeland's family, friends and colleagues to offer a glimpse into the world of la mode. After breezing through Vreeland's New York childhood, Dwight (Edith Wharton: An Extraordinary Life) plunges into her ambitious adult life. She married businessman Reed Vreeland, and with their two young children, they moved to London, where they spent six years that would "transform [Vreeland] from a postdebutante into a soign e woman of the world." Vreeland started a lingerie business; made frequent visits to her "spiritual home," Paris; and befriended such designers as Patou, Schiaparelli and Chanel. Upon returning stateside in 1935, Vreeland wrote an inventive column for Harper's Bazaar, "Why Don't You?" and later became a top editor there. Not classically beautiful, yet always fashionable and immensely creative Vreeland photographed models in Frank Lloyd Wright homes instead of in staged studios, as had been the norm she lived an artistic, innovative life. She became Vogue's editor-in-chief in 1963, and her penchant for flamboyant, expensive stories that reflected aristocratic, international glamour led to her abrupt firing in 1971. She rebounded, however, serving as a consultant to the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute before her death. Laden with enthralling portraits of chic personalities from Greta Garbo and Jackie Kennedy to Lauren Hutton and Yves St. Laurent, this celebration of her life will please fashionistas young and old. Color & b&w photos. Agent, John Hawkins. (Nov. 1) Forecast: Vreeland's autobiography, D.V., is still in print after 18 years, and her illustrated book, Allure, was reissued by Bulfinch last month. Expect to see mentions of Dwight's book in fashion magazines; it's a good companion to another fashionable career woman's memoir, Mary Wells Lawrence's A Big Life in Advertising (Forecasts, Apr. 8).
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
It is sheer irony that an ungainly, unconventional girl should become one of the leading fashion mavens of the 20th century. Diana Vreeland (1906-89) was fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar, editor in chief at Vogue, and finally special consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. An unerring force in the fashion world from the Forties through the Seventies, Vreeland dictated style and fashion trends. She was eccentric and demanding, but in fashion she was always right. Dwight (Edith Wharton) here traces Vreeland's life and accomplishments. She handles the topic masterfully, with plenty of great period photos placed liberally throughout the text. Her exploration of Vreeland's youth, marriage, and family life give great insight into the development of her personality and motivations. While there are a few other biographies on Vreeland and her own autobiography (D.V.), Dwight's biography is comprehensive and memorable. Recommended for larger collections everywhere. Karen Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
From the sublime to the oh-so-trendy--an odd juxtaposition fromthe writer who brought us Edith Wharton: An Extraordinary Life(1994) and now chronicles the life and works of Diana Vreeland, whoseclaim to fame was fashion, fashion, and more fashion. Born to a lifeof affluence, Diana always perceived herself as the ugly duckling, animage haunting her her whole life. Dwight lays all emotions and lifeevents bare, thanks to her access to memoirs and letters saved by theVreeland family. Truly experiencing the lives of the rich and famous,readers will cheer her first job as a "why don't you?" columnist forHarper's Bazaar, grimace when unceremonious retirement faces herat Vogue, and applaud at the flamboyance that spelledVreeland. Photographs and amazing stories, whether on a shoot withVeruschka or dressing Jackie Kennedy, will thrill and delight even themost ambivalent of fashionistas. Barbara Jacobs
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